Is Pakistan Serious?

Pakistan's campaign to hunt down suspected Taliban and al-Qaeda guerrillas in the rugged territory bordering Afghanistan scored a major success last week with a raid by the Pakistani army in the country's South Waziristan district. Eight suspected militants were killed and 18 were detained--all foreigners and "certainly terrorists," said military spokesman Major General Shaukat Sultan. "As a matter of policy, Pakistan is determined to root out terrorism from its soil."

But is it? Skeptics note that Pakistan has a habit of announcing dramatic antiterrorism moves to coincide with high-level meetings with U.S. officials. At the time of the raid, President Pervez...